''Alive'' is the third studio album from

Hiromi Uehara , known professionally as Hiromi, is a Japanese jazz composer and pianist. She is known for her virtuosic technique, energetic live performances and blend of musical genres such as stride, post-bop, progressive rock, classical and fusion in her ...

's Trio Project featuring bassist Anthony Jackson and drummer Simon Phillips. The album was released by

Telarc Telarc International Corporation is an American audiophile independent record label founded in 1977 by two classically trained musicians and former teachers, Jack Renner and Robert Woods. Based in Cleveland, Ohio, the label has had a long associ ...

label on June 17, 2014.

Reception

Bill Meredith of ''

JazzTimes ''JazzTimes'' is an American magazine devoted to jazz. Published 10 times a year, it was founded in Washington, D.C. in 1970 by Ira Sabin as the newsletter ''Radio Free Jazz'' to complement his record store. Coverage After a decade of growth ...

'' stated "If there’s a drawback to all-star groups, it’s that they have little to prove... ''Alive'', recorded live in the studio, boils in comparison to the Trio Project’s standard studio predecessors ''Voice'' (2011) and ''Move'' (2013)." Jeff Winbush of ''

All About Jazz ''All About Jazz'' is a website established by Michael Ricci in 1995. A volunteer staff publishes news, album reviews, articles, videos, and listings of concerts and other events having to do with jazz. Ricci maintains a related site, ''Jazz Near ...

'' commented "Matching her inclination for improvisation, drummer Simon Phillips and bassist Anthony Jackson hold down the rhythm responsibilities, freeing up Hiromi to do things with a piano most human beings can't begin to imagine doing. ''Alive'' might be the finishing stroke in a trilogy of adventurous albums for the band. Nothing has been said by Hiromi to indicate the group has run its course, but there is a sense of finality and completion to this musical affair. Always a restless musician, it remains an open question as to how long Hiromi will continue this collaboration." John Fordham of ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...

'' noted " This is her ninth album, and the mix is much the same, but so is the infectious enthusiasm with which she stirs it. The title track is a typical blend of anthemic, big-chord drama soon displaced by catchy left-hand hook over a rugged funk pulse from rock drummer Simon Phillips, then a whirling folk-dance and some jazz-ballad lyricism before returning to its starting point." Chris Jisi of ''

Bass Player A bassist (also known as a bass player or bass guitarist) is a musician who plays a bass instrument such as a double bass (upright bass, contrabass, wood bass), bass guitar (electric bass, acoustic bass), synthbass, keyboard bass or a low br ...

'' wrote "The true magic, however, comes via the interplay during Hiromi’s solo, as Jackson and Phillips spontaneously support, suggest, and react. The art of the piano trio is alive and well."

Track listing

# Alive (9:04) # Wanderer (8:57) # Dreamer (8:31) # Seeker (7:25) # Player (9:12) # Warrior (8:54) # Firefly (7:28) # Spirit (8:13) # Life Goes On (6:49)

Reception

Track listing

Personnel

References

External links